The 2017 Rooster Long List is Here!

Last year's long list featured 87 titles; this year brings us 120 books to pour over and decide which are most likely to make the tournament itself. Last year I read a half dozen books off of the list, only two which made the final cut, but a few of those books I loved a lot and am happy to have read and a few made it only other various long and short lists, giving me a jump start on the other prizes.

So here they are, books on the very, very long list for the Rooster 2017. Which have you read, which will make the tournament and which will you read before the contestants are announced?

http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-year-in-fiction-2016



That's the first few books.

I've read eleven of the long list - with 120 books on it, that's not very impressive! I'm thrilled that Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith is listed, and surprised that The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie isn't.

Not surprising is The Underground Railroad is included and I'm betting it makes the tournament.

I have read The Fireman, which I didn't love as much as previous Joe Hill. And The Vegetarian, which I liked and expect has a good chance of making the shortlist but not winning.

I own but have not read The Underground Railroad, Hag-Seed and Homegoing, so will move them up in the queue.

Many others on my TBR--hope some of them make the shortlist. Looks like a good list overall. Nothing I would absolutely not read, judging from a quick lookover, except probably the Alan Moore.

I'm hoping Barkskins doesn't make it. For selfish reasons - I'd like to read all of the books before the contest starts and that one is long and I don't love Proulx's writing and environmental issues can get preachy if not done just right.

I kind of want A Gambler's Anatomy to make it. I hated that book and would love to complain about it at length.

Marrow Island is a longshot, but it's such a lovely novel, with it's own take on environmental damage.

I'm reading Here Comes the Sun right now and to me it's a book that was almost very good. The dialog is written in dialect and, unlike A Brief History of Seven Killings, it isn't done well. Instead of getting a feel for the cadences of speech, each conversation is an effort to decipher. And reading aloud does not help - it's really not good.

I think I'll make one of my categories in next year's Category Challenge this list. It's not like I won't read a number of them anyway.

>4 RidgewayGirl: I love your reason for wanting the Lethem to make it. My husband has a copy but I wasn't planning to read it based on your review.

It's my experience that books I don't like make for more entertaining subjects of discussion than the books I've adored.

I have read 6 of the list. I am pretty sure none of those have a chance but will see. I have several yet to read and many more I wish to read but realistically I won't.

I've read 13, that sure leaves a lot for me to look up at the library. I agree with you that The Underground Railroad will be in the tournament as well as Homegoing, possibly Commonwealth as well.

So far I know that I plan to read American Housewife.

Haha, wow, I have read incredibly few of these. If the thinking is that Underground Railroad and Homegoing are likely going to be in, maybe I'll prioritize those. Glad to see Tell the Wind and Fire on there! I don't have a lot of guesses for what'll be moving on, but I'll try to make some decent bets.

I've only read four of these so far: The Nest, The Underground Railroad, The Vegetarian, and My Name is Lucy Barton. Was not a fan of the last two but kind of hope they make the tournament anyway as I'm curious as to why others like them so much. I'm currently reading Commonwealth, have The Mothers waiting at the library for me and Unseen World waiting as well. Also have Wangs vs the World and Everybody's Fool on my personal TBR shelf.

Kind of bummed that A Gentleman in Moscow didn't make the list, but you can't have everything I suppose.

I just finished Here Comes the Sun and it was unrelentingly grim. I don't even want to discuss it or read essays about it.

Now reading Another Brooklyn, which is so beautifully written.

>11 RidgewayGirl: I am sure it is a touchstone error, but the link for Here Comes the Sun goes to a book tagged humor.

>11 RidgewayGirl:, I recently read and finished Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn too.

>12 sturlington: Ha! Fixed.

>13 Kristelh: What did you think? I found the dialog almost unreadable. I wanted to like this book but it had issues.

>14 RidgewayGirl: The patois was hard and there was a lot of it. I like to do those books in audible but this one I read. It made me think of Their Eyes Were Watching God and Clockwork Orange and I also just read Remembering Babylon recently. All full of dialect and all great books so I wonder if this one won't go far because of that reason and the women's issues that it encompasses.

>15 Kristelh: A Brief History of Seven Killings was full of dialog rendered in dialect and it worked - I think that when it's done well, it adds to the book, giving the reader the cadences of local speech patterns. In Here Comes the Sun it was badly done. There was much that was done right in the novel and I wish an editor had had her either rewrite the dialog more carefully or do away with the patois altogether. As for women's issues - a lot of this book is about color and classicism and lack of opportunity and despair, so that shouldn't hurt it. Roxane Gay's book went far the year it was in competition, although I have not forgotten the one judge who complained about rape in novels and so chose the book where the victim got over it quickly (and that is a topic worthy of it's own thread!)

I'm now reading The Mothers by Brit Bennett and it's wonderful so far.

Really enjoyed Commonwealth which is currently enjoying the top spot out of the five I've read so far. Halfway through The Wangs vs. the World and am having to read it in small doses as it's a bit hard to muster much sympathy for any of the characters, though the sibling dynamic has been interesting.

Just finished Today Will Be Different, and I did enjoy it, but I think since Where'd You Go, Bernadette was in, probably we won't get another? I think I'm going to try for Imagine Me Gone next.

Just finished The Regional Office Is Under Attack! Fantasy, science fiction with superhero women. I am betting it doesn't have what it will take to make it to the shorter list.

I'm reading 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl .

>17 RidgewayGirl: I enjoyed The Mothers Kay.

Oh good, glad I was pointed to this thread. I've read eight (well, I'm 9/10 through The Nix, have another 17 on my shelves, and have a library hold on Marrow Island. This should give me a good excuse to get reading some of what I already have. It's a solid list, if not exactly super edgy, though I guess that's not the point. I see a few that are probably on there for one private reason or another and I'm sure won't make the final cut, but let's see.

Of those I've read, I think I enjoyed Commonwealth, Mr. Splitfoot, and The Nix (with the caveat that I'm not quite done and I'm at risk of the library sucking my copy back into the ether today before I finish) most.

I'm also going to apply to be a guest judge. Hey, why not?

Ive read Hag Seed, and All The Birds in the Sky, and I have Moon Glow and the Girls to read this season. Interested in Kindness of Enemies and others; good reading there.

Oh and the new one by Yann Martel I bought that sight unseen just cause I loved the authors previous work. This was a major disappointment Surprised to find it on any list.

Finished The Mothers which was quite good, I hope it makes the short list. Also finished The Wangs vs. The World which was not my overall cup of tea. There were some really good moments in it, especially with the sibling interactions, but the whole "rich family losing everything oh woe is me" bit was a little too over the top for my tastes.

Hoping to get to The Unseen World and The Queen of the Night soon.

I read Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman. Another one that I do not think will make the short list. Set in 1991 to 1992. Coming of age, dark, another book trying to be the next Gone Girl.

I've started The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride, which as an oblique writing style that is growing on me.

I've only read one book on the list, but a few are familiar from postings I've seen elsewhere on LT this year. I'm hoping to get to a few even if they're not in my TBR.

I've read a few more from the long list:



Homegoing is a book I'm almost certain will make the competition. It certainly deserves to.

American Housewife: Stories was fun but too slight to deserve a spot.

To the Bright Edge of the World might make it in. It's a historical novel with touches of the unreal about it. Were the long list a lot shorter, I'd say it would make it. Also, this doesn't seem quite like the kind of book usually chosen for play. I liked it quite a bit, though.

Which brings me to seventeen books read. I'm looking forward to finding out which books will compete - should be next week.

I've just finished Homegoing. Really liked it.

>29 Kristelh: Yeah, I'll be surprised if Homegoing is somehow omitted from the roster.

>28 RidgewayGirl: - Kay - Your link to the book goes to something else.

Hi Kay : I agree with you about American Housewife, it's good, quirky and fun, but it probably won't make the competition . I also think Homegoing will be a final contender but now I'm thinking that Underground Railroad might not, only because there are a few power house authors on the longlist.

Fixed, Betty.

Lisa, I think both will be on the list. They're the big novels of 2016, and while Colson Whitehead is an established author, this is Yaa Gyasi's first. And the Rooster is not one of those awards that only allow one book by an African American on to the shortlist. Those are the only two books I'm relatively sure of.

I can't wait to see which books become the final contenders. I still have hopes of getting to Rich and Pretty and The Vegetarian soon.

I also have Mississippi Noir and Ginny Gall that I want to get to

Last year, the roster was released on January 13th, so we shouldn't have long to wait.

I'm currently reading Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty.

The short list is up. See www.themorningnews.org/article/the-2017-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-judges

Is there a thread for the 2018 ToB long list?

Not that I'm aware of.

The long list for 2018 is posted, https://themorningnews.org/article/the-year-in-fiction-2017

http://www.librarything.com/topic/276664#

I've opened a thread. I'll try and add pictures this weekend if time permits.